A piece of cloth, or other suitable material, sewed or otherwise fixed upon a garment to repair or strengthen it, especially upon an old garment to cover a hole.

His sleeves had patches on the elbows where different fabric had been sewn on to replace material that had worn away.

A small piece of anything used to repair damage or a breach; as, a patch on a kettle, a roof, etc.

I can't afford to replace the roof, which is what it really needs. I'll have the roofer apply a patch.

A repair intended to be used for a limited time; (differs from previous usage in that it is intended to be a temporary fix and the size of the repair is irrelevant).
This usage can mean that the repair is temporary because it is an early but necessary step in the process of properly, completely repairing something,

Before you can fix a dam, you have to apply a patch to the hole so that everything can dry off.
or that it is temporary because it is not meant to last long or will be removed as soon as a proper repair can be made, which will happen in the near future.

"This patch should hold until you reach the city," the mechanic said as he patted the car's hood.

A small, usually contrasting but always somehow different or distinct, part of something else (location, time, size);

The world economy had a rough patch in the 1930s.

The storms last summer washed away parts of the road so we can expect some rough patches up ahead.

To me, a normal cow is white with black patches, but Sarah's from Texas and most of the cows there have solid brown, black, or red coats.

Doesn't that patch of clouds looks like a bunny?

I lost my locket in this patch of grass here.

When ice skating, be sure to stay away from reeds: there are always thin patches of ice there, and you could fall through.

I never get first place because on track eight, right after you pass the windmill, there's a patch of oil in the road that always gets me.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

That concertina was a wonder in its way. The handles that was on it first was wore out long ago, and he'd made new ones of braided rope yarn. And the bellows was patched in more places than a cranberry picker's overalls.

[the control panel of hovercraft The Logos has lit up after being jumped by The Hammer]
Sparky: She lives again.
Crew member of The Hammer via radio: You want us to patch an uplink to reload the software, Sparky?
Sparky: Yeah, that'd be swell. And can you clean the windshield while you're at it?

To repair or arrange in a hasty or clumsy manner; – generally with up; as, to patch up a truce.

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.